<p>Originally written for Charles Dickens’ <i>Household Words</i> magazine<i> The Poor Clare </i>is a dark gothic short novel of thwarted love and a family curse that vividly illustrates the social tensions of Victorian England.</p><p>The intentional killing of a woman’s dog unleashes a torrent of rage. In her desire for revenge the woman curses the dog’s killer: <i>All that the murderer loves most he will lose.</i></p><p>This haunting tale brilliantly demonstrates Elizabeth Gaskell’s understanding of the tensions between Catholics and Protestants and the harsh realities of class society.</p>